Local sluggers win big in Cooperstown

The South Riverdale Animals travel baseball team won the Cooperstown Backyard Baseball Wood Classic 14-and-under tournament this past weekend in Laurens, New York, which is just outside Cooperstown, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It is the team’s first tournament win after many second- and third-place finishes over the past few years.

In the first game of the tournament, the Animals faced the Mid-Atlantic Shockers from southern Maryland. 

Things started slowly for the Animals, with the Shockers scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning. The Animals finally broke through with three runs in the top of the third.

Connor McKeown led off with a walk and then Ike Fields followed with a single. A wild pitch by the Shockers moved the runners up to second and third. Kenneth Rodriguez hit a sharp groundout to the shortstop, which allowed McKeown to score.

Danny Moynihan then crushed a two-run home run to dead centerfield. The moon shot put the Animals ahead, 3-2.

The Shockers tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on an unearned run. Both teams failed to generate any offense over the last two innings and the game ended in a 3-3 tie.  

McKeown and Rodriguez, the pitchers for the Animals, allowed only two hits to the Shockers.

The second game, played against CNY Arsenal from Syracuse, was a decidedly one-sided affair.

After the Animals scored twice in the first inning, Steven Stavrianopoulos led off the third inning with a single and then stole second base. With two outs, Jonathan Katzman singled to right field to score Stavrianopoulos.

An inning later, Jonathan Sherman and Adam Berni each had RBI hits as the Animals extended their lead to 5-0.

Zack Farber, Griffin O’Keefe, and Lucas Ludgate were among five Animals that scored during the fourth inning.

With the score 10-0, the tournament mercy rule was put into effect. Moynihan, the Animals’ starter, allowed only one hit and threw 43 pitches in the game’s four innings.

Semifinal blowout

The Animals and the Shockers both ended the playoff seeding round with 1-0-1 records. With the tiebreaker going to the team with the least runs allowed, the Animals claimed the top seed. 

Arsenal received the lowest seed in the tournament, resulting in the Animals facing them for the second straight day — this time in the semifinals.

As Yogi Berra would say, it was “déjà vu all over again” as the Animals defeated the Arsenal in another 10-0 mercy contest. Nine Animals scored a run in the victory.

The game was particularly special for Animals starting pitcher Sherman, who threw a four-inning no-hitter. He struck out four, and only one ball was hit out of the infield.

Sweet victory

After the Shockers defeated the Cubs, a team from Canada, in the second semifinal, the Animals and Shockers were set up for a rematch with the tournament championship at stake.

In the top of the first inning, the Shockers loaded the bases with only one out. But Animals starter Farber coaxed a fielder’s choice ground out that nabbed a Shockers player at the plate. He then followed with a three-pitch strikeout to end the inning.

The Animals wasted little time getting on the board, as they tallied three runs in the bottom of the first. After Rodriguez and Moynihan started the inning with back-to-back hits, Sherman was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Berni’s two-run single and Farber’s bases-loaded walk drove in the runs.

After the Shockers went quietly in the top of the second, Rodriguez and Moynihan both scored again to give the Animals a 5-0 lead.

Great catch

The Shockers finally got on the board in the top of the third, scoring twice on a couple of base hits. But right fielder Stavrianopoulos made one of his two great catches in the game to stymie the rally.

The Animals added a run in the bottom of the fourth when Brian Alberts singled, stole second and scored on consecutive wild pitches.

With the score 6-2, the Shockers began the top of the fifth with a double and a home run. The game was a tight two-run contest when Animals reliever Rodriguez came in and struck out the first batter he faced. After a walk, he induced an inning-ending double play.

The Animals sealed the championship with a six-run outburst in the bottom of the fifth, fueled by big hits from Andrew McKeown, Fields, Rodriguez and Alberts. The 12-4 rematch victory via a mercy score was a fitting end to a great tournament.

Manager Tommy Gonzalez, coaches Mike Farber and Ken Katzman and scorebook keeper Liz Luboja were thrilled when happy Animals players doused them with the traditional post-victory water sprays. 

Happy sponsor

West Chelsea Veterinary Hospital, the sponsor of the Animals, was also ecstatic to receive the championship trophy. All players and coaches received medals.

Besides playing four games, the Animals found time to have a family barbecue and a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame.  It was a fun way to end what has been a great summer season for the Animals.